Colossal Conservative Clash: Will Rush Limbaugh be replaced by Mike Huckabee on Detroit radio, or just challenged?

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Rush Limbaugh

Will conservative-bent Detroit talk station WJR 760 AM replace the beleaguered "Rush Limbaugh Show" in the noon to 3 p.m. weekday slot with former Republican presidential candidate-turned-media personality Mike Huckabee's new show next month?

Right now, it's unclear, but the station's parent company is sending messages that such a switch is very possible on its outlets.

WJR is owned by Atlanta-based Cumulus Media Inc., and the company's radio arm, Cumulus Media Networks, is syndicating and distributing the "Mike Huckabee Show." The show premieres April 9 and bills itself as "More Conversation. Less Confrontation."

Phone and email messages were left for WJR General Manager Tom O'Brien and other station management.

Cumulus referred questions to Davidson Goldin of the New York-based consultancy Goldin Solutions Inc., who acts as outside media relations for the broadcaster. He told me this morning that a list of stations that will air Huckabee's show has not yet been disclosed.

Cumulus Media co-COO John Dickey told The Wall Street Journal this week that the radio chain will honor contracts with the Limbaugh show but didn't rule out a switch to Huckabee in the future. It's unclear when Limbaugh's contract in Detroit is up.

Huckabee's show is slated to premiere April 9 on 140 stations, according to The Wall Street Journal, while Limbaugh is still on about 600 stations.

Limbaugh has been under intense criticism since remarks during his Feb. 29 show in which he made derogatory comments of a female Georgetown University law student who testified before a congressional committee about health insurance mandates for contraceptives.

He apologized on-air on March 3, but has continued to face backlash and a loss of advertisers on his show, including Detroit's Quicken Loans.

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Mike Huckabee

Huckabee is a former Republican governor of Arkansas and Southern Baptist minister who has hosted an hourlong political commentary show on Fox News Channel since 2008. He sought the GOP nomination in 2008.

Cumulus now owns or operates more than 570 radio stations in 120 markets.

Another possible Huckabee landing spot in Detroit could be CBS Radio Inc.'s WXYT 1270 AM. It carries a slate of conservative shows, including "The Laura Ingraham Show" in the noon to 3 p.m. slot.

That show actually airs live from 9 a.m. to noon but is broadcast later in many markets — possibly meaning it could be moved in Detroit to make room for Huckabee.

Yet another candidate to air his show locally is WDTK 1400 AM, another conservative talk station. It's owned by Camarillo, Calif.-based Salem Communications Corp., a Christian-oriented broadcaster with 96 radio stations in 37 markets.

WDTK's programming has several shows that currently air during the noon-3 p.m. slot, including Dennis Miller from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.